page_title: New Spanish Baroque
section_title: Juan Ruiz de Alarcón y Mendoza
hierarchical_section_title: New Spanish Baroque / Writing and Philosophy / Juan Ruiz de Alarcón y Mendoza
caption_attribution_description: Retrato de Juan Ruiz de Alarcón del siglo XVII
context_page_description: New Spanish Baroque, also known as Mexican Baroque, refers to Baroque art in the Viceroyalty of New Spain. During this period, artists of New Spain experimented with expressive, contrasting, and realistic creative approaches, making art that became highly popular in New Spanish society.
  Among notable artworks are polychrome sculptures, which as well as the technical skill they display, reflect the expressiveness and the colour contrasts characteristic of New Spanish Baroque.
  Two styles can be traced in the architecture of New Spain: the Salomónico, developed from the mid-17th century, and the Estípite, which began in the early 18th century.
  A model of the Cathedral of Puebla represents the architectural magnificence of New Spain. A choir book and a harpsichord of the 18th century highlight the importance of music for the colonial society of the Baroque period in Mexico.
context_section_description: Juan Ruiz de Alarcón y Mendoza (c.1581 - 1639) was born in Taxco. He was a Novohispanic writer of the Golden Age who developed various forms of drama. His works include the comedy "La Verdad Sospechosa" (Suspicious Truth), which is one of the most important works of Spanish American Baroque theater, comparable to the best pieces of Lope de Vega or Tirso de Molina.
  Little is known about the early life of Ruiz de Alarcón. It is known that his maternal grandfather was Jewish and his paternal grandfather was the son of a priest of La Mancha and a Moorish slave. It is probable that he came from a family well connected with the Castilian nobility. He studied from 1596 to 1598 in the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico.  About 1600 he set off for the University of Salamanca, where he studied civil law and specialized in canon law.
  While in Salamanca, Alarcón rose to prominence as the author of dramas and stories. In 1606 he went to Seville in order to practice commercial and canonical law. There, he met Miguel de Cervantes, who was subsequently influenced by his works, including La cueva de Salamanca (The Cave of Salamanca) and "El Semejante A Sí Mismo" (Like unto Himself).
  In the first months of 1607 he returned to New Spain. Two years later he obtained a bachelor's degree in law and several times tried unsuccessfully to gain a university chair. His next move was to Madrid, where he began the most fruitful period of his literary output. His early works were "Las Paredes Oyen" (Walls Have Ears) and "Los Pechos Privilegiados" (The Privileged), both meeting with some success. He soon came to be recognised in literary circles in Madrid, but never established close relations with any of their members. Indeed, he earned the hostility of others. We know of many satirical quatrains and disguised allusions to Alarcón, who was always ridiculed for his physique - he was a hunchback - and his American origins. He, in turn, responded to the vast majority of personal attacks and never stopped writing.
  It has been suggested that he may have collaborated with  Tirso de Molina, one of the most famous writers of his time and the one who most influenced his works. There are no written evidence of such a collaboration, although it is thought that at least two of the comedies of Tirso, published in the second volume of his works (Madrid, 1635), were in fact written by or with the collaboration of Alarcón.
  With the accession of Philip IV, in 1621, the theater achieved an important place in the royal court. Alarcón soon struck up a useful friendship with the son-in-law of the powerful Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares, Ramiro Felipe de Guzmán, under whose patronage he grew better-known as a poet. Between 1622 and 1624 he wrote "La Amistad Castigada" (Punished Friendship) and "El dueño de las estrellas" (The Owner of the Stars) as well as the vast majority of his plays. From 1625 he served on the Council of the Indies, thanks to the intercession of his friend Ramiro Felipe de Guzmán.
  During the first months of 1639, Alarcón's health began to deteriorate. He stopped attending the council's meetings and was replaced in his position as rapporteur. In August he dictated his will, making provision for all his debts and debtors. He died on August 4, 1639 and was buried in the parish of San Sebastián.
caption: Juan Ruiz de Alarcón.
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